Between the Pages
by rocket shoes
Summary: There will come a time when you believe everything is finished, and that will only be the beginning. Maka's yearning for a more exciting life begins with a story, and ends with a letter. Until it starts again, with a school, a boy, and words spoken with more grit than actions could ever show.


**Between the Pages**

* * *

"Certain darkness is needed to see the stars"

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**1**

It's always cold here, in this dreary little town that's tucked into a border line. Were we see no sun and only hear about it in books and stories.

This is the kind of place where people tuck their noses into their scarves and don't bother to look at the sky above, which resembles a dirty dish rag, a muggy gray color.

But I can imagine it, if I close my eyes. Its blue and the clouds aren't dark but rather white like cotton balls. And the sun, it's warm, like a heating pad.

Sadly, I always open my eyes though and find myself looking at the chalkboards in my classroom. Bland and boring, I can't help but sigh.

Literature is my favorite subject of all the others, but my teacher makes it bleak. She uses words like "If, but, maybe and whatever." I hate these words.

I sink lower into my seat, and close my eyes again.

* * *

There's a boy I hold close to my heart, who I meet every day after school at the library for book club. His golden irises captivate me and I find myself losing my place as I watch them move.

Left, left, left, right and repeat.

He's my best friend, and my crush. After the clubs session, we'll always walk to the local gas station and buy two cinnamon rolls, kept warm by our pockets. Then we walk a little further and sit down at a bench located in the town's park.

We open up our snacks and bend our heads so far you think they'd snap and break, and we stare at the sky. Sometimes if we're lucky we even see stars.

"Hey," I start off, "Kidd, do you think there's more to this?"

I can hear his jackets shuffle along with his movement as he looks at me, "More to what?"

"Life." I simply say, "I want more than this."

He shuffles back to his original position and after that we both simply sit, looking up so high above us.

"There probably is…is that what you want?"

"I want it more than I can tell." I say, turning my head and looking at his side. I've never seen a boy so beautiful.

"A life where there's excitement and adventure, I think it's a life more suited to books Maka."

I bite my bottom lip in frustration, because I know Kidd is right. He always is.

Kidd and I love books more than we can say. He prefers old time-y historical ones, while I prefer ones that feature far off places and adventures. Kidd says my heart is the rare restless kind, but I disagree with him.

Hours past, and Kid says we should probably head home now. He gets up first, and holds out his hand for me. I take it, and we start walking.

I wish I had the courage to take his hand again and not let go.

* * *

When I get home, I see my Papa's note on the counter. I don't really bother to read them anymore since their all the same excuse written over and over again, their just worded differently. I take it and drop it in the trash.

When I get to my room, I throw myself onto the bed and heave the days sigh. My room is my castle, my safe place, my room is my heaven.

If you were to come in and look around, you would words everywhere.

Long ago and still to this date I take sticky notes and write down my favorite lines from books, poetry, the internet and everywhere else and stick them all over my room.

I like to be surrounded my things that speak to me. Letters and literature, I believe words can be just as strong as actions, I believe they can change the world.

I shed off my coats and do my homework, and before I go to bed I unlock the door for him and sit on the couch with a book and my phone, and I wait for him to come home.

Some nights he doesn't.

Some nights he does.

Some nights I fall asleep before I can find out if he ever returns home, and in the morning when I wake up I find he's gone.

My Papa is like the sun, I hardly ever see him, but if I close my eyes, I can see him there.

And he's warm.

* * *

I think that if my life was a story, and I was the protagonist, Kidd would be my mentor. He always leaves me a piece of paper with a quote on it. Kidd and I don't share any classes together, but we make up for it with reading sessions in the library and conversations on the phone.

Today he left me a paragraph out of a book that is unknown to me.

But none the less I hold the paper to my heart, and close my eyes, and I can see it. What Kidd's words tell my eyes and heart. The morning bell rings, and it shakes me out of la la land. I shut my locker and head to my first class.

Maybe tonight I and Kidd will be able to see the stars.

Maybe I can hold his hand too…

* * *

That night I ask Kidd why we can never see the stars, he tells me that darkness is needed to see the stars. It makes me wonder to myself what he means by that, because here it's always dark, and you can't even see the sun shine.

But I shrug it off, because I just settle on letting it be a mystery to me for right now.

When we sit down, I start on my daily routine but out of the corner of my eye, I can see my friend look off into the distance instead of into the sky.

I nudge him gently, and ask him what's wrong. He smiles at me, which makes my chest feel heavy on the inside.

"I was just thinking of what you said yesterday."

"About the library hours?"

He smiles like he was laughing, "No, what you said yesterday, about your yearning for a more exciting life."

"Oh." I say, feeling stupid.

Kidd then turns and digs into his bag and pulls out a paper. He hands it to me and as I read he explains.

"There's this school, about five hours away from here located in the city. They have a contest where you write a paper, and if it's any good, you can get a scholarship."

My face lights up as I let my mind wonder about the possibilities.

Kidd rolls his eyes in amusement, "it's not that easy though Maka, this is top, notch, stuff." He says seriously. "This isn't like giving away candy to little kids, you have to earn it. You have to make those words come together and you have to create something beautiful."

I swallow. I know where Kidd is going with this.

"You have to enter that contest with all your will and you have to win. And then, then you'll get your life of adventure."

I open my mouth, but I can't think of anything to say. Kidd, he's crazy. Beyond crazy, he's mentally cracked! There's no way I would even come close to winning this.

I look down at the paper, and my mind wanders about the possibilities once again.

* * *

**I think I knew what this was at the beginning but then it got a mind of its own as I was typing it. **

**Review? Criticism is always appreciated!**


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